Relationship Status: Friends?
by nothingbuttrouble202
Summary: Joe and Demi had always been friends, but they always argued. What happens when one night they find themselves not arguing and realizing that there might be more to it? Will they pretend nothing is going on or cave into potential feelings? R&R! Now done!
1. Chapter 1

**Demi's PROV.**

I honestly don't know how it came to this. He was the last person I would have guessed I would end up slow dancing with.

I'm not exactly sure how we ended up in this position, but neither of us were about to stop.

Normally we would be throwing rude comments at each other, in a playful way of course, but not at this moment. Sure, we're friends but looking at us you probably wouldn't think so.

As we swayed to the music, I felt myself being pulled closer to him and my head was now resting on his shoulder.

I noticed Sterling standing a few feet away. I also noticed that he was alone, his girlfriend was nowhere in sight. For once, seeing him had no effect on me. I was happy where I was, without him. His eyes met mine, and I gave him a small smile before taking my head off of Joe's shoulder and then staring into his eyes.

"Demi?" He whispered softly.

I giggled a little. "You called me by my actual name."

Joe and another friend of mine had come up with an odd nickname for me not long after we became friends, and after that he never called me by my real name so it was nice hearing him say it.

He chuckled lightly, and then his face turned nervous. "Would you kill me if I kissed you right now?"

"No." I answered without thought.

He slowly leaned in and his lips met mine. It was quick and innocent but still magical. I could have sworn there was a spark.

"Wow." He said blushing.

"Wow." I repeated blushing as well.

We continued to slow dance for a few more songs until Selena and the others came back from wherever they disappeared to. Joe and I instantly broke apart and didn't talk or touch each other for the rest of the dance.

When the night was finally over, and everyone made their way out of the gym, Joe's hand intertwined with mine. I looked up and smiled, seeing he was looking back at me smiling as well.

Nothing changed after that night. We never talked about the kiss and we didn't tell anyone about it.

Joe and I were back to our arguing selves, at least when people were around. Whenever we had a moment to ourselves we didn't have one playful thing to say to each other. We were real friends. Friends. That's all we were…

**Thoughts? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I was reading Relationship Status: Friends? and I decided that I wanted to write it from Joe's point of veiw as well! I hope you guys like it :)**

How did this happen? I was slow dancing, with Demi, DEMI at a school dance! I don't go to school dances, but somehow I ended up here and with Demi in my arms.

We aren't exactly the closest of friends. We have a unique relationship. Honestly, I'm kind of a jerk to her but that's just how I act. I don't mean anything by what I say besides, she comes back at me. If I say something rude she shoots an insult right back. It's just what we do. Looking at us, you wouldn't assume that we were really friends.

As we moved with the music, I slowly pulled her closer to me and she responded by resting her head on my shoulder. After a few moments she lifted her head off my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. I couldn't help but get lost in them. "Demi?" I whispered softly.

She giggled and my heart skipped a beat. "You called me by my actual name."

I almost forgot that I rarely ever call her by her real name. Selena, my cousin and Demi's friend, came up with a random nickname that we always called her.

I chuckled lightly at her comment and then I felt nervousness take over. "Would you kill me if I kissed you right now?" I couldn't believe I had just said that but what surprised me more was her answer.

"No." She said instantly.

I leaned in and my lips met hers. The kiss was short but it still took my breath away. I think there was even a spark. "Wow." I said blushing.

"Wow." She repeated, blushing also.

We slow danced for a couple more songs until Selena and everyone else came back from wherever they disappeared. We instantly broke apart and didn't speak or touch for the rest of the dance.

The night finally ended and as everyone was making their way out of the gym, my hand found Demi's and I intertwined our fingers. I smiled and looked down at her, seeing that she wasn't pulling away. She looked up and smiled back at me.

Nothing changed after that night. Neither of us mentioned the kiss or told anyone about it.

Demi and I went back to being our arguing selves, at least when the others were around. When we were alone we didn't have a single playful thing to say to each other. You could almost say we were real friends.

Friends. I hated that word. That's all we were….


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I have decided that I'm going to change this from being a one shot to a story! I've just been hit with some ideas for it and I'm happy with what I have going :) I also like showing both sides of the story too, meaning seeing it in both of their POV's. I hope you guys like it :) R&R.**

**Demi's POV**

I can't stop thinking about the kiss Joe and I shared almost a month ago. I constantly catch myself staring at his lips as he speaks. I think he's starting to notice too. "Demi?" He almost whispered, breaking me out of my stare.

"Huh? Sorry, what?" I said snapping back into reality.

"Are you alright? You've been more spacey than usual." He said lightly nudging me with his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." I said looking down at my food.

Joe lifted my chin with his hand, forcing me to look him in the eyes. I held my breath as I stared into his eyes. He moved his hand now cupping my cheek and my eyes slowly shut.

We hadn't been this close to each other since the dance. I suddenly felt Joe pull away and I opened my eyes, seeing the rest of the gang walking toward us.

I finally exhaled and looked down at my food, trying to look as if nothing happened.

"Hey guys!" Selena smiled, taking a seat on the ground next to me.

"Hey Sel." I smiled back.

"Sorry we took so long. Miley couldn't decide what she wanted from the vending machine." Selena said giving her a look.

"I'm sorry! There were just so many choices!"Miley said in defense.

I could feel Joe watching me from the corner of my eye. I knew my face was growing redder as each second passed. I was praying that no one would say anything, so I kept my face turned away.

I then felt my phone buzz. It was a text.

_Joe: Aw, am I making you blush? ;)_

_Me: It's because you're staring at me! It's weird and it makes you look like a creep! :P_

_Joe: You like it ;)_

I let out a small giggle and Miley and Selena's heads turned their heads, staring at me. "What?"

"What's so funny?" Miley asked arching her eyebrow.

"Nothing." I quickly replied, which made me look guiltier, but I didn't have anything to be guilty about…right?

I saw Joe holding back laughter as the two girls were interrogating me. I shot him a glare and he returned it with a cocky grin.

I managed to avoid Selena and Miley that time, but I needed to be more careful.

**Joe's POV**

_Demi is so cute. _I thought to myself watching her totally space out. "Demi?" I whispered, not wanting to scare her.

"Huh? Sorry, what?"

"Are you alright? You've been spacing out more than usual." I said nudging her with my shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry." She said looking down at her food.

She wasn't fine. She had been acting weird lately. She was hiding something and I wanted to know what it was.

I lifted her chin with my hand, making her look at me. I noticed that she held her breath when I touched her. I cupped my hand on her cheek, hoping she would relax. When she shut her eyes I found myself slowly starting to lean in, but then I saw the others coming back and quickly moved myself away from her.

She released the breath she had been holding and looked back down at her food.

"Hey guys!" Selena smiled, taking a seat next to Demi.

"Hey Sel." Demi said smiling back at her.

"Sorry we took so long. Miley couldn't decide what she wanted from the vending machine." Selena said, giving her a look.

"I'm sorry! There were just so many choices!" Miley said in defense.

I couldn't help but stare at Demi, completely blocking out the conversation Selena and Miley were having. I could see her cheeks starting to become red and that she was trying to hide it from us. I decided that I was going to mess with her a little bit.

I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.

_Me: Aw, am I making you blush? ;)_

_Demi: It's because you're staring at me! It's weird and you look like a creep! :P_

_Me: You like it ;)_

I heard her let out a giggle and I couldn't help but smile, knowing it was because of me.

Selena and Miley quickly turned their heads, staring at Demi. "What?" She asked.

"What's so funny?" Miley asked arching her eyebrow.

"Nothing." She replied quickly.

I was trying so hard not to laugh at the sight. Demi looked over at me and shot me a death glare and I responded by grinning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Demi's POV**

I hate staying after school later than I have to. I mean, why would someone want to be there longer than they're required? I am surely not one of those people. The reason that I am today though is because I have a project for my English class and it was a group project, another thing I hate. I would have been better off working by myself.

After two hours of arguing, and working I was free. I ran from the classroom and made my way to the front of the school. I tried calling my parents but no one was picking up so it looked like I was stuck walking home. Wonderful.

I walked another two feet before I heard someone calling my name. When I turned around I met, a very red faced, Joe. "Hey." He said panting.

"Hey yourself. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He said still panting. "I just had track practice."

"That explains it." I giggled, seeing how tired he was.

"So, what are you still doing here? I would have thought you'd have gone home already."

"I had to stay and work on a stupid English project."

"Oh that sounds so fun." He said sarcastically.

I giggled and nodded. I noticed Joe laughing at my giggle, which made me blush with embarrassment.

"You have a cute laugh." Joe said noticing my blushing face.

"Shut up. I do not." I said hitting him playfully.

Joe's hand caught mine and intertwined our fingers. I looked down at our hands and I felt a smile form on my lips. "I wouldn't lie to you." He said pulling my closer to him.

I looked back up at him and our faces were now only inches apart. I felt my stomach starting to knot up with nervousness. "You know, you don't smell too good after practice." I said trying to lighten the mood and wash away my nervousness.

He let go of my hand and lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. "Ew. You're right. I smell awful." He said disgusted. Then I saw an evil smirk cross his lips. "Want a hug?" He asked opening up his arms.

I let out a small shriek and backed away from him. "No! Get away from me!" I laughed.

"You know you want a hug!"

I tried to back away but before I knew it he had his arms wrapped tightly around me and I was forced to take in his entire stink. "Please! Let me go!" I begged, pretending to gag.

He looked down at me and smiled. "But I like having you this close to me."

I think my heart just stopped. I saw his eyes widen and he loosened his grip on me, but didn't completely let go. "So, uh, do you want a ride home?" He asked, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"No, it's fine. I can walk." I said getting out of his grip.

"Oh come on, you'd rather walk than get a free ride?"

"At least walking I would get fresh air, if I got into a car with you I would be surrounded by your stink." I teased.

"Psh. Fine. I didn't want to give you a ride home anyways." He said crossing his arms.

"Good because I didn't want you to give me a ride." I said crossing my arms as well.

Joe ended up winning. We agreed that the windows would stay rolled down so that neither of us had to smell him.

"Thanks for the ride." I said taking off my seatbelt but not making a move toward the door yet.

"See, now that wasn't so bad was it?" Joe laughed.

"No, I suppose it wasn't." I looked at my hands. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." I reached for the door handle but Joe's hand caught my shoulder. I turned my head and looked back at him with a confused look.

He then leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my cheek, and my cheeks flushed the second his lips touched it. "See you tomorrow." He smiled softly.

I was lost for words so I got out of his car and sprinted to my front door, not looking back. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

**Joe's POV**

I love to run. I know that's something most people my age don't say, but I am of the few who say it and mean it. At track practice it felt like I was flying but at the end my legs felt like jell-o.

As I was leaving the track, my eyes flew over to the sight of a girl who looked a lot like Demi. I walked a little closer and saw that it was her. "Demi!" I called out before running, more like sprinting, over to her.

She turned around and I was already there. "Hey." I panted.

"Hey yourself. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." I panted. "I just had track practice."

"That explains it." She giggled.

"So, what are you still doing here? I would have thought you'd have gone home already."

"I had to stay and work on a stupid English project."

"Oh that sounds so fun." I said sarcastically.

She giggled and I couldn't help but look at her. "You have a cute laugh." I said noticing that she was embarrassed.

"Shut up. I do not." She said hitting my playfully.

I caught her hand and brought it down to our sides and intertwined our fingers. She looked down at our hands. I think I even saw her smile. "I wouldn't lie to you." I said pulling her closer to me. I felt the need to hold her close.

She looked up at me and I noticed that there was only a small gap between us. It felt like my stomach was doing flips. She made me so nervous.

"You know, you don't smell too good after practice." She said breaking the silence.

I let go of Demi's hand and lifted my arm so that I could smell myself. She was right. I smell awful. "Ew. You're right. I smell awful." Then an evil idea popped into my head. "Want a hug?" I asked opening up my arms.

She let out a cute shriek and backed away from me. "No! Get away from me!" She laughed.

"You know you want a hug!"

She tried to back away from me but before she knew it I had my arms wrapped tightly around her I forced to take in my stink.

"Please! Let me go!" She begged, pretending to gag.

I looked down at her and smiled. "But I like having you this close to me." My eyes widened when I realized what had just come out of my mouth. I loosened my grip on her, in fear that I had freaked her out because she had frozen. "So, uh, do you want a ride home?" I asked trying to lighten the awkwardness.

"No, it's fine. I can walk." She said getting out of my grip.

"Oh come on, you'd rather walk than get a free ride?"

"At least walking I would get fresh air, if I got into a car with you I would be surrounded by your stink." She teased.

"Psh. Fine. I didn't want to give you a ride home anyways." I said crossing his arms.

"Good because I didn't want you to give me a ride." She said crossing my arms as well.

I ended up winning and giving her a ride home. I just promised her that we could keep the windows rolled down so that neither of us had to deal with how bad I smelled.

"Thanks for the ride." Demi said taking off her seatbelt.

"See, now that wasn't so bad was it?" I asked, laughing lightly.

"No, I suppose it wasn't." She looked down at her hands. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." She said reaching for the door handle but I didn't want her to leave yet and before I knew it my hand caught her shoulder.

She turned her head and looked back at me with a questioning look. I slowly leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "See you tomorrow." I smiled softly.

She turned and got out of the car and practically sprinted to her front door. I felt like an idiot. I couldn't seem to get anything right. She probably thinks I'm weird now. Ugh! I started the car again and sped off.


	5. Chapter 5

**Demi's POV**

My cheek still tingled from where Joe kissed it two days ago. I didn't go out that weekend. I just sat in my room and thought about Joe. I needed to get over this crush.

I was lying on my bed, looking at the ceiling when I felt vibration coming from the back pocket of my jeans. I lifted my hips and pulled out the phone and looked to see who the text was from. My heart stopped but not in a good way. It was Sterling.

_Sterling: Hey Dems. Can we talk?_

_Me: Um sure.._

_Sterling: Can we meet?_

_Me: Yeah. Let's just meet at the school. Is that alright?_

_Sterling: Perfect. Meet me there in ten minutes. _

_Me: Kk. _

I put my phone back into my pocket and then proceeded to get off my bed.

I grabbed my keys and made my way out the door and to my car. I don't know why Sterling wanted to meet me. We haven't talked in months. Our interaction at the dance was the closest we had been to each other since he told me he didn't want anything to do with me.

I got to the school and walked to the front and saw Sterling waiting for me.

"Hey." I said nervously, as I approached him.

"Hey." He smiled.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I just wanted to get down to it. I didn't want to dance around whatever was going on with him.

He seemed surprised at my pushing to get the conversation going. "I just wanted to see you."

I arched my eyebrow in suspicion. "Why?"

"I've just been thinking about you a lot lately."

"You have a girlfriend, Sterling. You shouldn't be wasting your time thinking about an ex, especially one that you haven't talked to in months." I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for an explanation.

"We broke up, actually. So I'm not wasting my time." He was looking my straight in the eyes.

I could see all the good times we had together and how much I had loved him. I was fighting back tears, thinking about the old us. "Will you just please tell me why I'm here."

He took a step toward me, only inches in-between us. "I miss you."

I stepped away from him. "You and her just broke up. I will not be your rebound. Besides, what we had is long over and done. I've moved on Sterling. I can't go back and neither can you."

He stepped toward me again. "Do you remember that night at the dance, when you saw me and we had that moment?" His hand made its way to my cheek, cupping it.

"It wasn't that kind of moment. Besides, that was the moment I realized I was completely over you. I let go."

"Is it because of Joe?"

"What?"

"Are you guys together or something? Is that why?"

Sterling looked like he was breaking. I hated seeing him that way. I put my hand over his on my cheek and squeezed it. "We're just friends. He has nothing to do with the way I feel about you. It's just time that we move on."

He pressed his forehead against mine, letting a few tears roll down his cheeks. "Please don't be upset. I don't like seeing you like this."

"Then, just let me do this." He said before pressing his lips to mine.

His lips tasted wet and salty, from the tears. I knew he was frustrated when I didn't start to kiss him back. I felt like I owed it to him, so I then slowly started to kiss him back. After a moment I pulled away and wiped away the rest of his tears.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, knowing I only kissed him back to make him feel better.

"I'm always going to love you Sterling, just not in the way that you want me to."

He nodded his head. "I understand." He took his hand off my cheek and just looked at me.

"What?" I asked after a minute of his stare.

"I saw you and Joe that night." I felt my cheeks grow red. I knew exactly what he meant. He had seen us at the dance. He had seen us kiss. Just thinking about it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. "Don't give up on him, Demi." I looked at him confused. "You know what I mean." He looked behind me and smiled and then turned on his heels and walked to his car, leaving me very confused.

I turned to leave but then saw Joe. I froze. How long had he been there?

**Joe's POV**

I was still feeling stupid about kissing Demi's cheek after I dropped her off that Friday. I just wanted to stay in my room all weekend but knew I couldn't because of the track meet.

It took me two races before I could get my head in the game. My coach could see something was wrong with me so he cut me some slack, and was just happy to see me get back into my groove.

Running helped me a lot. It was my escape from the world.

At the end of the meet, I took a quick shower in the locker room and then made my way to the front of the school, where I had parked.

I turned the corner and saw Demi with Sterling? Why were they there? And so close together? I got close enough so I could hear what they were saying.

"Is it because of Joe?" I heard Sterling say.

_Is what because of me? _I thought to myself.

"What?" Demi asked, sounding confused.

"Are you guys together or something? Is that why?" Sterling didn't look very happy. In fact, he looked rather depressed or heartbroken.

"We're just friends. He has nothing to do with the way I feel about you. It's just time that we move on." Demi's hand was now covering his, which was on her face.

_I could feel anger boiling up inside me._

Sterling pressed his forehead against hers. I could see a few tears roll down his cheeks.

"Please don't be upset. I don't like seeing you like this." Demi begged.

"Then, just let me do this." He said before pressing his lips to hers.

_I had to clap my hand over my mouth to stop a scream from coming out. What the hell where they doing? Are they back together now? I felt like I had just been slapped, hard, across the face. She was kissing him back. _

"I'm sorry." Sterling whispered.

"I'm always going to love you Sterling, just not in the way that you want me to."

He nodded his head. "I understand." He took his hand off her cheek and just stared at her.

_So they aren't getting back together? I was confused. I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster. _

"What?" Demi asked after a minute of Sterling just looking at her.

"I saw you and Joe that night." Sterling said.

_What? Someone saw us? Well…I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, I mean we were at a school dance and those are in public. We didn't exactly try and make it a secret._

"Don't give up on him, Demi." Both Demi and I had a confused look on our faces. "You know what I mean." He looked behind her and smiled at me before turning on his heels and walked to his car.

_He saw me…_

Demi turned around and she froze when she saw me.

"Hi." I said, trying to break the awkwardness.

"How much of that did you hear?" She asked shakily. She looked so fragile, like she was going to break. I automatically pulled Demi into a hug to comfort her. I didn't like seeing her confused and sad like this. "How much did you hear?" She asked me again, her face buried in my chest.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to worry her more. So, I did what I thought was best. I lied. "Nothing." I said.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope you guys are liking this story! I've had a lot of fun writing it. I've just been really inspired with it today, hense why I've put like three chapters today...let me know what you think or what you think will happen or want to happen. I love to hear new ideas :)**

**Demi's POV**

Joe claims he didn't hear anything that day between Sterling and I, but I'm not sure I believe him. He's been acting weirder than usual and now he's avoiding me. He doesn't even sit with me and the others at lunch anymore.

"Is he not sitting with us again?" Selena asked irritated. I shrugged my shoulders. "What has gotten into that boy?" I shrugged again. "More importantly, what has gotten into you? You seem out of it. What's going on?"

I still hadn't told Selena or Miley about what happened with Sterling or with Joe but I figured it was time to come clean, at least about Sterling. I kept telling myself there was nothing to tell about Joe. There's nothing going on between us…not anymore.

"Sterling did what? And we're just finding out about this now why?" Miley exclaimed.

"I'm still trying to figure it all out still I'm sorry!"

"What is there to figure out?" Selena asked. "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"No. I just, when I looked into his eyes I saw our entire relationship, the good times and the bad. He was my first real love guys, it just was a lot to take in all at once."

They nodded their heads, slowly understanding. I felt tears trying to fight their way out of my eyes but I held them back, not wanting to look any more weak or vulnerable.

I couldn't just sit there anymore. I needed to clear my head. I got up from the stop we usually sit at and told Selena and Miley that I needed to walk around. They offered to walk with me but I told them I'd rather be alone.

Part of me was hoping that I would run into Joe so that we could talk but then the other part of me didn't want to face him.

I didn't end up finding anyone. I just ended up finding a secluded corner and sat down to process my thoughts. After I was done feeling sorry for myself, I decided I needed to get off my butt, face Joe and talk about whatever was going on.

There was only ten minutes of lunch left and Joe could have been anywhere. I decided to text him as I walked around looking for him.

_Me: Can we talk? Please?_

I held my phone close to my hand and eagerly waited for a response. My heart raced when I finally did.

_Joe: Meet me in the quad._

Luckily, I was near there. I picked up my feet and ran. I didn't care how dumb I looked. I just needed to get to where I needed to be in a quick amount of time.

I stopped when I saw Joe sitting alone at a small table. I let my breathing become even again and slowly walked over to him. At first, I was going to sit across from him, but then I decided I wanted to be next to him while we talked. That way he couldn't run from me. "Hi." I said sitting next to him.

"Hey." He said not looking at me.

"What's going on with you? Ever since the Sterling thing you've been avoiding me, well, all of us."

"I was just giving you space." He wouldn't look at me and it was killing me.

I put my hand over his. "Why?"

Joe sighed and finally looked me in the eyes. "After what happened, and the way you responded to what happened with Sterling I figured you needed space to think and that when you were ready you would talk to me about whatever he said."

"I know you were lying when you said you didn't hear anything of what Sterling said."

He sighed heavily again. "Okay, yeah, I lied. I'm sorry. I just didn't like seeing you like that."

I squeezed his hand. "Will you give me an honest answer now?" Joe looked at me confused. "Honestly, what did you hear from the conversation?"

He looked back down, avoiding my eyes. "I heard him tell you not to give up and that he saw us that night at the dance."

It was odd hearing Joe reference the dance, since neither of seemed to want to admit it happened or talk about it. "Do we have something worth fighting for?" I asked lifting his chin, making him look at me. I wanted him to look me in the eye when he answered this.

He started into my eyes for a few moments before answering me. "We could."

That was all I needed to hear. I put my free hand on Joe's shoulder and started to lean in, but before anything could happen we were both startled by the bell ringing.

We looked at each other and laughed. "Let's get to class." I smiled.

**Joes' POV**

After what happened with Sterling, I didn't want to face Demi. I was sure she knew I was lying. I've always been a bad liar. A lot happened that day. I didn't want her to do anything she would regret later. I wanted her to come after me.

I stopped eating at the usual stop with her and the others. I also wanted to figure out my feelings, even though I was pretty well aware of how I felt about her.

I sat at a small table by myself and just sat there. I was lost in my thoughts but they were interrupted when I felt a buzz in my pocket. It was a text from Demi.

_Demi: Can we talk? Please?_

I just stared at the text. She was ready to talk.

_Me: Meet me in the quad._

Less than two minutes later I felt her take a seat next to me on the table bench. "Hi." She said.

"Hey." I said not looking at her.

"What's going on with you? Ever since the Sterling thing you've been avoiding me, well, all of us."

"I was just giving you space."

She put her hand over mine. "Why?"

I sighed. It was time to have the conversation. "After what happened, and the way you responded to what happened with Sterling I figured you needed space to think and that when you were ready you would talk to me about whatever he said."

"I know you were lying when you said you didn't hear anything of what Sterling said."

I sighed heavily again. "Okay, yeah, I lied. I'm sorry. I just didn't like seeing you like that."

I felt her squeeze my hand. "Will you give me an honest answer now?" I looked up confused. "Honestly, what did you hear from the conversation?"

I looked back down, avoiding her eyes. "I heard him tell you not to give up and that he saw us that night at the dance." It was weird referring to that night, the night I realized that I have feelings for Demi. Neither of us mentioned it so I thought she just wanted to pretend it never happened. The possibility that she wanted more as well never crossed my mind, until now.

"Do we have something worth fighting for?" She asked lifting my chin up, forcing me to look at her.

I started into her eyes for a few moments before answering. "We could."

She put her free hand on my shoulder and started to lean in, but before anything happened we were both startled by the bell letting us know that lunch was over rang.

We looked at each other and laughed. "Let's get to class." She smiled, taking my hand and leading me into the now crowed hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Demi's POV**

It felt like Joe and I were right back to where we started. Friends. Just really good friends…

Selena knew I had something to do with Joe's returning to our normal spot at lunch and wanted to know how I did it but I knew I couldn't tell her without admitting my feelings for him and I didn't want to do that, not yet.

"What did you say to him to make him come back?" Selena asked, as we walked to vending machines at lunch. Miley wasn't at school so I offered to go with her to get food.

"I just told him that we wanted him to come back." I said looking at the choices in the machine.

"He didn't say why he had been avoiding us?" She questioned, not buying my story.

I turned to her, annoyed. "We aren't that close of friends Sel. Why would he open up to me? You're his cousin. He would trust you more than he would trust me." I wasn't lying to her. As far as they all knew Joe and I haven't changed at all. We're just casual friends.

Selena sighed, feeling defeated. "Fine, I'm sorry." She made her selection and we walked back to our spot where we saw Nick, another friend, sitting and talking with Joe.

"It's Nick. We haven't seen him in a while." Selena whispered to me as we got closer. "Nick! Hey!" She smiled, giving him a little hug.

"Hey Sel. Hey Demi." Nick said, returning Selena's hug.

"Hey." I said politely, before sitting down next to Joe, but leaving an acceptable amount of space between us.

"We haven't seen you in a while." Selena said. "We thought you had forgotten about us."

"What! I could never forget you guys!" Nick said wrapping an arm around Selena's shoulder.

"Good answer!" Selena joked.

I had completely checked out of the conversation. I was just staring at the ground. I shut out everyone else's voices, leaving me to my own thoughts.

I was brought back into reality when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw it belonged to Joe. I saw that he was worried. I gave him a reassuring smile and tried to focus back on the conversation that was being held.

"So, Demi, how have you been?" Nick asked.

"I've been well. How about you?" I tried to act interested in talking. It wasn't that I had a problem with Nick or anything; I just didn't want to talk to anyone.

"The same. I hear you dragged Joe back into the group after he tried to leave. How come you never came after me? Am I not as special as Joe?" Nick asked jokingly.

I gave a fake laugh, trying to hide my nervousness. "I didn't go after him. Besides, you know I love you the most!" I was trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of Joe.

"Aw you do? Even after I left you?" Nick asked, playing along.

"Of course!" I said getting and wrapping my arms around him. "And you found your way back to me so of course I'm going to forgive you!" I gave him a sloppy, playful kiss on the cheek.

"Ew! Demi slobber!" Nick yelled, wiping his cheek.

Everyone was laughing, except Joe. No one else noticed but I looked at him and he almost looked hurt but that quickly faded to anger. His face didn't show it but I saw it in his eyes.

I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and ask him if he was alright but I knew I couldn't. I turned back to Nick, but took my arms off of him and continued to play with him.

Lunch ended and Selena went skipping off to class with Nick, leaving Joe and I. I turned to say goodbye but found that he only a few inches from me. I held my breath. He just looked at me. "Joe-"

He silenced me by pressing his lips to mine and snaking his arms around my waist, pulling me as close to him as he could.

This was nothing like our first kiss, which was light and innocent and this one was full of lust and desire, it was as if his life depended on it. I felt him start to pull away when he realized I wasn't moving. To stop him, I wrapped my fingers in his hair and pushed his head closer to me, kissing him back with just as much emotion as him.

We both pulled away when air became necessary. We just stood in each other's arm and looked into each other's eyes, panting slightly from the kiss. He slid a piece of hair behind my ear and pecked my lips softly.

"I can't pretend anymore." He said.

**Joe's POV**

Demi and seemed to be back to where we were from the start. Friends. Ugh.

I was sitting at our usual lunch spot when my friend Nick walked up and joined me. "Hey Joe. How's it going?"

"Hey man, it's been a while. What happened to you?" I asked.

"I just got swamped with school work. Being in high school is freaking crazy. Did you know that?" Nick laughed.

"No. I had no idea!" I laughed as well.

We talked for a couple more minutes and then we heard Selena's voice. "Nick! Hey!" She ran up to him and hugged him.

"Hey Sel. Hey Demi." Nick said hugging Selena back.

"Hey." Demi said slightly smiling. She obviously wasn't as excited to see him as Selena and I were. She just seemed off. She sat down next to me but made sure there was at least enough room for someone to sit in-between us.

"We haven't seen you in a while." Selena said. "We thought you had forgotten about us."

"What! I could never forget you guys!" Nick said wrapping an arm around Selena's shoulder.

"Good answer!" Selena joked.

I looked over at Demi who had completely checked out of the conversation. I put my hand on her shoulder and she shook herself out of her thoughts and looked at me. I must have looked worried because she gave me an 'everything is fine' smile and looked back at Selena and Nick trying to stay focused.

"So, Demi, how have you been?" Nick asked, turning his attention to Demi.

"I've been well. How about you?" She answered politely.

"The same. I hear you dragged Joe back into the group after he tried to leave. How come you never came after me? Am I not as special as Joe?" Nick asked jokingly.

She laughed and it made my heart crack. "I didn't go after him. Besides, you know I love you the most!" She was flirting with him! In front of me!

"Aw you do? Even after I left you?" Nick asked, playing along.

"Of course!" She said getting and wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders. "And you found your way back to me so of course I'm going to forgive you!" Then she gave him a sloppy, playful kiss on the cheek.

"Ew! Demi slobber!" Nick yelled, wiping his cheek.

Everyone else laughed except me. I was pissed and I wasn't hiding it. How could she openly flirt with him while I'm sitting right there? I know we don't exactly have anything but I thought she liked me.

Demi's eyes met mine and she looked worried. I knew she saw the anger in my eyes. She turned back to Nick, but took her arms off of him.

Lunch finally ended, and Selena went running off with Nick to their next class. Demi was turned away from. I slowly walked up to her and when she turned around she seemed startled at how close I was. "Joe-" She started. I pressed my lips against hers, shutting her up.

I was tired of talking and getting nowhere. I needed to do this. I needed her to know I wanted to be more than just a guy she kissed and then pretended like nothing happened.

I pulled her as close to me as possible and poured everything into the kiss but started to pull away when I noticed she wasn't kissing me back. All the confidence I had was slowly fading. I started to pull away but responded by wrapping her fingers in my hair and pushing my head closer to her, kissing me back with just as much force as me.

We pulled away when we were both in need of oxygen. That was much better than our first kiss by far. We just stayed in each other's arms looking at each other, not caring that we were going to be late for our next class. I pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and kissed her lips quickly. "I can't pretend anymore." I said.

"Neither can I."

Her response shocked me. She giggled and stroked my cheek.

I pulled her into a tight hug, never wanting to let her go.


	8. Chapter 8

**Selena's POV**

Something strange was going on with Joe and Demi. They were acting weirder than usual. I caught them looking at each other constantly and blushing when they caught each other looking at each other. I had to get to the bottom of this.

"Hey, Demi?" I asked as we walked to the vending machine. Miley was still sick, and this was the perfect time to ask her about Joe. I already tried talking to Joe but he seemed to always have an excuse as to why he couldn't talk when I brought her up.

"Yeah?" She asked turning to me.

"Will you answer something honestly?"

She started to look confused, then worried. "What is it?"

"Answer the first question."

"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you."

I let out a sarcastic laugh. She looked confused."Okay, let's just see about that. What's going on with you and Joe?" I asked, stopping and crossing my arms over my chest.

Her face went pale. "What makes you think something is going on?" She was obviously nervous.

"You guys aren't very subtle with your longing looks." She looked down at her hands and fiddled with them nervously. "Are you two together or something?"

She continued to look at her hands."I don't know. I think so."

I had to admit I was surprised that she didn't try and avoid it. "When did this happen? How did this happen?"

"Can we just get our food and go eat?" She started to walk away.

I grabbed her arm to stop her. "Why don't you want to talk about this?"

"Because I wanted to figure things out with him before I talked to you about!"

Why was she getting mad at me? "Don't snap at me! I just wanted to know what was going on with my best friend and my cousin!"

She sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'll explain everything after I figure out what's going on, okay?"

I nodded and we continued walking in silence. We got our food and went back to our spot where it was just awkward with everyone.

I took a seat next to Nick and Demi took a seat near Joe. I looked at Joe and looked at Demi then down at my bag of chips.

I felt Nick nudge my shoulder. "Are you okay?" He whispered.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I gave him a small smile. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I tilted my head into his neck.

**Demi's POV**

Miley was still sick so I was walking to the vending machines with Selena.

I still wasn't sure where the last kiss Joe and I shared left us. We acted more like a couple but only when we had moments to ourselves.

"Demi?" Selena asked breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked turning to her.

"Will you answer something honestly?"

I tilted my head confused, but then became worried. _Did she know something? _I thought to myself. "What is it?"

"Answer the first question." She demanded.

"Of course. I wouldn't lie to you."

She let out an obviously fake laugh, which confused me.

"Okay, let's just see about that. What's going on with you and Joe?" She asked, stopping and crossing her arms over her chest.

I felt the color drain from my face. "What makes you think something is going on?"

"You guys aren't very subtle with your longing looks." She looked down at her hands and fiddled with them nervously. "Are you two together or something?"

I looked down at my hands. "I don't know. I think so." I honestly didn't know where we stood. I was hoping that when Selena and I had this conversation I could give her more.

"When did this happen? How did this happen?"

"Can we just get our food and go eat?" I asked starting to walk away.

She grabbed my arm. "Why don't you want to talk about this?"

"Because I wanted to figure things out with him before I talked to you about!" I snapped.

"Don't snap at me! I just wanted to know what was going on with my best friend and my cousin!" She snapped back.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'll explain everything after I figure out what's going on, okay?"

Selena nodded and we continued walking in silence. We got our food and went back to our spot where it was just awkward with everyone.

She took a seat next to Nick and I took one near Joe. She looked up at Joe and I then looked back at her bag of chips. I hated seeing her upset. I know I shouldn't have snapped at her but I was frustrated, not that that's an excuse.

Joe and I needed to talk, and soon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Joe's POV**

I was nervous. My hands were sweaty and I couldn't hold still. Demi was coming over. She told me that we needed to talk. Why am I nervous about this? Because I think we're going to have 'the talk'. The one where were determined what we are.

I heard a knock on my door and I shakily opened it. Instead of seeing Demi I saw Selena. "Selena? What are you doing here?" She pushed past me and walking into the house. "Please, come in." I said sarcastically, closing the door and turning to her.

"Were you expecting someone?" She asked crossing her arms.

"Yes, actually I was." I said crossing my arms as well.

"Who are you waiting for? Your girlfriend Demi?" She asked bitterly. My arms fell to my sides in shock. "Yeah, that's right. I know something is going on between you two and I want to know what. Demi barely looks or talks to me anymore and I just want things to be back to normal."

I didn't know how to respond. How did she know? Did Demi tell her something? "Look, Demi is on her way over here so we can figure that out and you being here won't help anything."

She looked hurt. "Will you at least tell me how this happened? You guys were barely friends before and now you might be more? I just don't understand and I don't understand why neither of you told me."

I knew she was hurting. I hated seeing her hurt. Even though she was my cousin I thought of her as a sister. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know after Demi and I talk, okay? Now can you please leave before she gets here." Selena stomped her foot and turned to leave, slamming the door behind her. I swear, she was such a dive sometimes.

The next knock I heard on the door was Demi. I smiled and hugged her and let her inside. We took a seat on the couch and looked at each other, unsure of where to start. "So." I said trying to start the conversation.

"So." She said back.

"How come you didn't say anything after we kissed at the dance?"

She seemed surprised by my question but sighed before answering. "I don't know. I still wasn't sure of my feelings and I didn't want to make things awkward." Then she looked up at me. "What about you? You could have said something."

"I guess the same reason as you. Before that night I never would have even considered thinking of you in this way but having you in my arms just felt so right. It was like I was seeing you for the first time." I saw tears forming in Demi's eyes. I cupped her cheek with my hand and wiped the tears away with my thumb. "Don't cry." I whispered.

She looked into my eyes, letting tears roll down her cheeks. "I really like you, Joe." She said in almost a whisper.

I pressed my lips to her forehead and pulled her to my chest. "I really like you, Demi."

"So, where does this leave us?" She asked looking up at me.

"Where do you want this to leave us? I don't want to push you into something you aren't comfortable with."

"I want to be with you." She said before pressing her lips to mine.

I responded by pulling her into my lap, having her straddle my hips. I licked her bottom lip, begging for an entrance, which she excepted, and our tongues danced around each other. She lightly bit my bottom lip, causing me to let out a soft moan. I felt her smile against my lips. She was pleased with her affect on me.

When she pulled away I gave her a fake pout. "I wasn't done kissing you yet!"

She giggled that giggle that made me crazy about her. "I needed to breath!"

"So you'd rather breath than kiss me?" I pretended to be hurt and put my hands over my heart for a dramatic effect.

"Sorry, but yes," She teased. "But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy kissing you as well!" She added before pecking my lips quickly then resting her forehead against mine.

I didn't want to ruin the moment, but I knew we still needed to talk about Selena."Selena stopped by." I said after a few moments of silence.

Demi gulped."Oh. How did that go?"

"She seemed upset. She knows something is up."

Demi sighed heavily. "Sorry, that's my fault."

"What did you tell her?"

"The other day she asked me what was going on and if we were together and I told her that I didn't know and that we still needed to talk. She was asking how it got to this and I wanted to talk to you before I got into it with her."

"She asked me the same thing when she was here and I pretty much told her the same thing. She doesn't understand how we got to where we are now. She seems pretty upset."

"I should go talk to her. I can't stand her being mad at me especially over something like this." Demi said getting off my lap.

"Should I come with you?" I asked standing up.

"No. I need to go by myself."

I sighed. "Okay. Tell me how it goes after." I kissed her on the lips once more and then she was off.

**Demi's POV**

I slowly walked up to Selena's bedroom door, her mom had let me in without a thought. I knocked lightly. "Go away!" I heard Selena yell.

"It's Demi." I said nervously.

Selena was silent for a minute then said I could come in. "Hey." I said sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Joe?" She asked, obviously trying to hide her bitterness.

"I already saw him."

"Oh." She said avoiding looking at me.

"I'm sorry about not telling you about Joe. I was just so confused. It all happened so fast and I wasn't sure what I was feeling but that's no excuse for not coming to you right after it happened." She looked up at me , waiting to hear how it all started. "Do you remember when you dragged Joe and I to that dance last a couple months back?"

She smiled at the memory. "Yeah you and Joe were throwing a fit. You didn't want to go but you went to make me happy."

I smiled too. "After you disappeared with Miley and Nick, leaving Joe and I alone we somehow ended up slow dancing together. Being in his arms just felt right, being close to him just felt so natural. I looked into his eyes and saw him differently. Then, he asked if he could kiss me and I said yes. It was quick and innocent but I could have sworn there was a spark." I looked at Selena, and she was sucked into the story. "When you guys finally came back we broke apart and didn't go near each other or talk but at the end of the night, when we were leaving with the crowd of people he grabbed my hand and it was like they fit perfectly together." I stopped talking, to see if Selena was following.

"Then what happened after that?" She looked like a little kid.

"We went back to normal after that, at least when you guys were around but when you weren't we were like proper friends. Neither of us spoke of the kiss or told anyone. Then recently we started to get flirty and I knew my crush was growing into more. Honestly, I was scared. I didn't know how you would react and I didn't know how he felt. Then Sterling kissed me and told me how he felt and when I told him I was over him he told me he knew about Joe and I and told me not to give up on him. It turns out that he had seen and heard everything that was when he stopped hanging out with us."

"Joe saw everything? Why did he stop coming around? Was it because he was jealous?"

I couldn't help but laugh at how into the story she was. "He said it was because he wanted me to sort all my feelings out. He didn't want his presence to influence my feelings. He thought that I still wasn't over Sterling but after I found him I assured him that there was nothing there and I asked him if we had something worth fighting for and said that we could." I smiled just thinking about him.

"Aw!" Selena squealed.

"The day when Nick came back around and you two went off to class Joe pulled me into his arms and kissed me. It was nothing like our first kiss. There was nothing innocent about this kiss. Joe poured all his feelings into it and it took my breath away."

"Wow. No wonder you didn't tell me. Gosh, Joe sounds like a handful!" Selena laughed.

"I wanted to tell you, I really did, I just I couldn't even think straight."

"So then, what happened today?"

"We're together." I grinned.

"Ah!" Selena screamed, throwing her arms around me. "I'm glad you two finally worked things out! I'm happy for you!"

"Really? So you aren't mad anymore?"

"I wasn't mad. I just was frustrated that I was being kept out of the loop but now I get it. I'm sorry I made you feel bad."

"You have no reason to be sorry! You had every right to be upset."

Sometimes, Selena and I acted like such girls. I was so relieved that Selena wasn't upset but my new relationship with Joe. I felt a thousand pounds being lifted off my shoulders.


End file.
